**2010** Epcot Food & Wine Festival ENDED 11/14. 2011 FESTIVAL 9/30-11/13

[Wigit12]

Just got my email from TiW for the Grape Getaway. Perfect timing after we just spent thousands of dollars THIS MORNING on the non-refundable event tickets. Anybody else as aggravated about this as I am???

Truly do not understand the reasoning
We've only booked one event but cant change our dates at this point. Would have loved to do the Getaway

 

[oybolshoi]

Yep, and with a price tag of $1900 per person without lodging or $2203 with lodging (double occupancy), this is not something we would decide on in the blink of an eye.

exactly.

ah well ... too rich for our blood. We will stick with Vegas Uncorked for the splurges!!

 

[lurkyloo]

Wouldn't this be limited to how many people fit on the tiered "priority viewing" by the lake for Illuminations? That is part of the 3D package.

I thought I saw somewhere that the 3D party would book up to 500 guests per event. It's being held in the same venue as party for the senseless so they definitely have room to cram in a lot of people with a sugar crave!

Yes, the "official unofficial" web site someone found with descriptions of each event aimed at the chefs working them said capacity for 3D was 500.

I'm confident that they will pack 'em in for that. There's a fair amount of space in the area they're planning to use, which is right there at the entrance to World Showcase near where the Friendship docks.

Unless my information is wrong ... in which case I apologize now.

I think you're right. World Showcase Plaza holds 1,000 people, and at Christmas they were using 1/2 of it for the Candlelight Processional dinner package fireworks viewing. French Island only holds a couple hundred.

 

[cdtommie]

double post

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I think Disney STILL does not have their act together for the Grape Getaway. If we're going to extend our stay and fork out that kind of money, we want to know WHO the Author without a border is, WHO the guest chef that is speaking with us will be, WHAT winery will be telling us all their secrets, etc. There are no names mentioned anywhere in this itinerary... and the only perks specifically mentioned are that rather unattractive Festival tote bag, a signed Festival cookbook (with no mention of WHO is signing it), and the same wine glass you would already get at Party for the Senses. I imagine it will sell out anyway with those folks who have money to burn...

The one thing I see on that schedule that would have made it truly worth the price to hubby and me is the cooking school at California Grill. Both hubby and college-age son would have dearly loved that experience and would have signed up just for that if we weren't already fully booked with a full slate of ticketed events for the week before that. Too bad there is no true cooking school available during the regular Festival dates. Though, with 100 participants, I'm not really sure how "intimate" that experience would be. One chef, one hundred pupils... not a good teacher/pupil ratio!!!

P.S. - For those wanting to read the details for Grape Getaway, here is a link: http://app.sliderocket.com/app/FullPlayer.aspx?id=437F5D0F-E2E7-6FDF-2048-B934D9C52E5D

 

[karrit2000]

Would love to know their thought process behind this (Grape Getaway) package. For those that don't want to be bothered using the phone at 7 am, for those out of the country, for those with oodles of money, for those that don't like plebian crowds, for those that want to be pampered, for those that want prestige, for all of those????? What about those that just wanted to try it but were uncertain because they didn't have any of the details prior to this mornings rush?

Too rich for my blood. I think one could probably book similar events as steerage and still come out much cheaper than what they are charging. I've got my accommodations and an AP so I could do an awful lot with that $1900.
Real nice that they did it as a slide show presentation so you can't save the info in another format (not). The only way I would book this was if I won the lottery.

 

[RachelTori]

I'm still waiting for my TIW email. Maybe they already figured not to waste their time sending it to me!!!


Never mind - it was in my Spam folder -- right where it belonged!!

 

[Inkmahm]

Just got my email from TiW for the Grape Getaway. Perfect timing after we just spent thousands of dollars THIS MORNING on the non-refundable event tickets. Anybody else as aggravated about this as I am???

Yes. Just got my email from TIW, too, about half an hour ago. Of course, looking at the schedule and the price, I wouldn't have booked it anyway. Why can't they have a price for people who don't need tickets because we already have annual passes?

 

[Dancind]

Just got my e-mail too. Wouldn't have booked it anyway at those prices, but might have been nice to dream. Looks like a lot of eating and drinking, even more than we have planned!

I wonder if the event where the participants snack around the World Showcase is included in the $1900 price. Certainly hope so!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I'm still waiting for my TIW email. Maybe they already figured not to waste their time sending it to me!!!


Never mind - it was in my Spam folder -- right where it belonged!!

It was in my Spam Folder too. None of the other TIW emails have been spam before.

 

[Wigit12]

Yes. Just got my email from TIW, too, about half an hour ago. Of course, looking at the schedule and the price, I wouldn't have booked it anyway. Why can't they have a price for people who don't need tickets because we already have annual passes?

They're sending this to TIW holders. Aren't most AP Holders? The tickets are useless. Still, it's too much for my budget. Would have loved the cooking school.
I'm sure they'll still find 100 people willing to pay.

 

[cloudnut220]

I called at about 7.20 this morning and booked the two events we wanted (the 10/1 French Regional Lunch and the 10/3 Sweet Sundays). I think I held for about 10 minutes. I was a bit surprised when the CM asked me for my reservation number (which I didn't have handy) but luckily she was able to find it for me. Overall it was a pretty smooth process...took about 30 minutes in total.

I'm going to the festival with a bunch of WDW newbies, and now that they're excited about this they've started looking at other WDW restaurants and are peppering me with "can we eat here" requests. Very frustrating, since I asked everyone to look at restaurants before the 180 day marker and no one did, so I just booked us to meals--one at Jiko, one at Le Cellier. Hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in a few to make them happy. Sorry for the mini-rant, but I knew people here would understand!

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

For that pricing, I think a party size of 50 would have been more appropriate... or dividing the group into two for each event. I really can't wrap my head around how a cooking class at California Grill could feel personal with 100 people there. Dinners can feel intimate with that many, but not classes. If I'm going to feel like cattle in a herd, the price is certainly a no-go... but if they cut that in half and guaranteed a 1/50 experience, then I think it *might* be worth the price, depending on who is speaking, cooking, presenting wines, etc. Of course, there's no way to judge that because they failed to publish the info. And, after last year's disaster at Jiko with a no-show chef and four out of six inedible courses, we will not be booking something with such sketchy details.

 

[redzinner]

Never mind - it was in my Spam folder -- right where it belonged!!

I wonder if TiW would work some Disney Magic and cancel all of ones booked events if you really wanted to do the Grape Getaway. If anyone tries this approach, please let us know!

 

[Inkmahm]

Too rich for my blood. I think one could probably book similar events as steerage and still come out much cheaper than what they are charging. I've got my accommodations and an AP so I could do an awful lot with that $1900.
Real nice that they did it as a slide show presentation so you can't save the info in another format (not). The only way I would book this was if I won the lottery.

That's what I was just thinking. I went back to see what was actually included and even taking out the cost of admission tickets from the $1,900 price, I just don't see the included events being worth that much.

 

[Inkmahm]

They're sending this to TIW holders. Aren't most AP Holders? The tickets are useless. Still, it's too much for my budget. Would have loved the cooking school.
I'm sure they'll still find 100 people willing to pay.

Excellent point. You have to be an AP holder or a Florida resident to even buy the TIW card. Including the tickets in the cost is really a waste.

 

[oybolshoi]

I think they are going for "prestige" guests ... the ones who like to feel really special and will pay for it.

When I'm at F&W it usually only takes a couple of margaritas for me to feel special ... so I've already saved us $1,850.


EDITED: That's an excellent point about the tickets ... maybe they're hoping all of us will be too drunk on F&W to notice that we're being charged for something we already have?

 

[PatriciaH]

I'm still waiting for my TIW email. Maybe they already figured not to waste their time sending it to me!!!


Never mind - it was in my Spam folder -- right where it belonged!!

It is like the D23 events. Many D23 members are CM's or AP holders that have admission yet they always include admission in the special events.

 

[TDC Nala]

I think hubby assumes that since Jens is the head chef at Epcot, he would have heard all the horror stories about last year's dinner and will want to improve.

I was at last year's Wonders dinner. I certainly don't have any horror stories about the food or wine or the location and there were certainly none that I was aware of. I know some people on this thread saw my pictures and declared the food was not to their taste. The only thing that comes close is that some of us were thinking it was like previous years and we would be transported to the location, and they made us walk.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I think they are going for "prestige" guests ... the ones who like to feel really special and will pay for it.

They may be going for the prestige group, but with a herd of 100 people, Disney better be providing multiple well-credentialed chefs and master sommeliers at each event if they have a hope of providing that "special" feel to guests.